Categories

Flickr Photos

Posts Tagged ‘Mike Posner’

It’s only suitable that this post is written during a three-hour flight from Phoenix to Milwaukee.

31 Minutes to Takeoff was a bit of disappointment to prior Posner mixtape fans, but was quality music either way—just not for the same audience. The Duke graduate’s latest mixtape, The Layover, is back in the realm of One Foot Out The Door and A Matter of Time. With a solid number of tracks (21, to be exact) , the mixtape does not disappoint. Former fans should be pleased.

One of the most anticipated tracks, “Traveling Man,” which was sampled on One Foot Out the Door, finally makes a full-length appearance and does not disappoint. The teaser was promised to be on the next full-length album—which indeed it was not. The same way “Traveling Man” was sampled, Posner’s next supposed single “Looks Like Sex” is offered a minute forty cameo in the lineup.

The album opens with an intro featuring Don Cannon and is followed by a brilliantly executed “Wonderwall.” “Wonderwall” has to be one of the most covered songs of all time and Posner is successful in setting his apart from the million covers out there. The chorus is backed by synthetic beats and blips and a signature melodic repetition in the bass.

“Shut Up,” we can only imagine as what I think men are thinking when they sit in front of the dressing room at Forever 21. Forced into carrying multiple shopping bags and watching clothes come in and out of the dressing room in a blur of colors and “does this look good on me?” type sentiments. The almost comedic quality of the song does a fair job of audience appeal.

The album is laid out in such a way that it can be played throughout the day—paired with suggestions on how to listen to the songs. Playing the part of a waiter offering wine accompaniments to various courses during a meal, Posner advises you to: drive to this, smoke and drive to this, pull a bad bitch to this, fly to this, pre-game to this, fuck to this, drive in the dark to this, vibe to this, ride to this, chill to this, blaze to this, reminisce to this, rage to this, think to this, or fall asleep to this. An interesting concept already applied to one of life’s vices, why not now to one of the others?

Some of our favorite tracks on this album are “Blackout Remix,” “Henny & Purple,” and “Rolling in the Deep.” I am glad Posner returned to his roots as much as I enjoyed 31 Minutes to Takeoff (namely “Gone In September,” “Do You Wanna?” and “Cheated”).